Since injuring his ankle nine days ago, the Raiders have received almost all good news on Ashton Jeanty, and there is growing reason to believe he will be available when the Raiders host the Miami Dolphins in the season opener.
Last week, Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said he was “not even remotely concerned” about Jeanty’s injury but didn’t go into the details of what led him to that conclusion.
Not long after, a photo of Jeanty was published on the team website (below) showing Jeanty walking into the stadium for Thursday night’s game against the San Fransico 49ers.
Jeanty appeared to have a thin sleeve over his ankle and didn’t seem to be favoring his foot.
Former NFL team doctor David Chao commented on the image this week and said based on what he saw from the photo, he would guess that Jeanty will be ready for the season opener on September 13.
“I feel better about Jeanty right now,” Chao said on Monday.
“And the reason why is he wasn’t in a boot, wasn’t on crutches, he didn’t have a visible limp. Yes, there was some tape on his shoe or his sock underneath [on] Thursday, a few days ago, to the preseason game. The next game is two and a half weeks from that date. I think he’s going to be there.”
Chao didn’t reference any inside information but based on everything that has been reported (and now seen in Thursday’s photo), there are reasons to believe Jeanty and the Raiders dodged a bullet with his injury on August 23.
If you haven’t already, draft Jeanty with confidence in your fantasy leagues.
x: @raidersbeat